Geography Flashcards
How are deserts classified?
By the amount of precipitation per year.
How much % does deserts cover of the earth?
30%
Types of Deserts
Semi-Arid
Arid
Extremely Arid
Where are deserts located?
Around the tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricon
What are the seasons like?
Hot summers and warm winters
Temperature range
From 45C to -15C in 24 hour period.
Why rain is rare?
Winds become sry when they reach the western sides of the continents, and hence don’t bring any rain with them.
What are cold deserts?
Lie on the high ground of the tropic of cancer and south of the tropic of Capricorn
What are Polar Deserts?
Any precipitation is snow
Winters are cold and windy, while summers are dry and mildly warm. Lie very north and very south.
Where are deserts normally located?
Found in the interior of continents.
Winds blowing over the continents are dry by the time they get to the interior of the continents the Leeward side of the mountain.
What are desert landforms?
Depression/basin
The surrounding highlands around depressions/basins cause a rain shadow effect leaving the land dry.
What is a Plateau?
A broad, level and elevated region commonly bounded partly by cliffs.
What is a mesa?
Small, flat-topped hill bounded by cliffs. They are usually wider then they are high.
What is a butte?
Narrow hill of resistant rock bounded by cliffs. Usually wider than they are high.
What is a Wadi?
Steep-sided, flat-floored water course which is usually dry.
What is an Alluvial fan
Alluvial fans are fan-shaped deposits of material In the zone of deposition. they form where water flowing down wadis meets the deserts and dumps its sediments.
What is a Playa lake?
Ephemeral lakes where water flows into a desert depression. Eventually, the water evaporates and salt pans or clay pans are formed.
What is an Inselberg?
Isolated hill or harder rock
What is a Bolson?
Flat desert basin
Where do people live and why?
Because of many different factors, including the availability of water, food and jobs, weather, transportation, healthcare, education, and overall how enjoyable and suitable it is for them. It can also depend on income, cultural background, lifestyle, values, and beliefs.
Measuring liveability
Why we live where we do comes into 5 factors: Relief (flat land), fertile soil, climate, resources, and water.
Ranking/measuring
Liveability has its own 5 factors: stability, healthcare, culture, education, and infrastructure. An example is Melbourne. They are ranked in the top 10 most liveable cities because of the healthcare that they provide. It is free for the citizens, ensuring their safety in case of accidents.
Why are some places more liveable than others?
Some places are more liveable than others because they have better healthcare, education, culture, education, and infrastructure. The factors of ranking liveability are very important and if they have a good amount of each, it makes it more liveable.
Most liveable cities
Some of the most liveable cities include Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide in Australia. These cities are ranked as the most liveable because the factors of liveability are high and safe. For example, Melbourne has free healthcare for its citizens, ensuring safety and healthy life.